U.S. · 2026 plan year
FSA use-it-or-lose-it deadline calculator.
Enter your balance and plan type to see how much of your health FSA you could forfeit and how fast to spend it.
The 2026 health FSA limit is $3,400. Unless your plan offers a carryover (up to $680) or a grace period (up to 2 1/2 months), money left on the last day of the plan year is generally forfeited.
The rule everyone remembers is "use it or lose it," but the rule that actually applies to you is in your plan document, and it varies. Some plans roll over a few hundred dollars, some give you until mid-March, and some do neither. This page turns your plan type into a dollar figure at risk and a weekly spending target, so you know whether you are 30 days from a problem or 300.
Your numbers
Result
How this is calculated
Amount at risk depends on your plan type. With no carryover and no grace period, the whole unspent balance is at risk. With a carryover, the balance above your plan's cap (never more than $680 for 2026) is at risk. With a grace period, nothing is at risk at year end as long as you spend the money on expenses incurred during the grace period, which runs up to 2 1/2 months after the plan year ends; for a December 31 plan year that is March 15. A plan cannot offer both a carryover and a grace period (Pub. 969).
The weekly figure is the at-risk amount divided by the number of weeks (rounded up) between today and the plan year end. The $3,400 salary-reduction limit and the $680 carryover maximum come from Rev. Proc. 2025-32 section 3.15, as of October 26, 2026.
Worked example
$900 left, no carryover or grace period, 66 days to December 31. The full $900 is at risk. Spreading it over 10 weeks is $90 a week of eligible expenses such as prescriptions, copays, dental, vision or over-the-counter items your plan covers.
Same $900 with a $680 carryover. Only $220 is at risk, because $680 rolls into 2027.
Limits of this estimate
This does not know which expenses your plan covers, when your plan stops accepting receipts or whether your employer lowers the limits. Dependent care FSAs follow different rules and are not covered here. The claims run-out period after year end is a plan setting, not an IRS rule.
Sources
Primary sources opened and checked on October 26, 2026. Figures are for tax year 2026 unless a source says otherwise.
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedA health FSA carryover lets me roll the whole balance into next year.
What the source saysRev. Proc. 2025-32 sets the 2026 maximum carryover at $680, and only if the employer's plan allows a carryover at all. Anything above the plan's cap is forfeited. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is the health FSA limit for 2026?
$3,400 in voluntary salary reductions for taxable years beginning in 2026 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32 section 3.15).
How much can I carry over from my FSA?
If your plan permits a carryover, up to $680 from the 2026 plan year. The employer chooses whether to offer it and may set a smaller cap.
What is the FSA grace period?
A plan can give up to 2 1/2 months after the plan year ends to incur new expenses against leftover money (Pub. 969). A plan cannot have both a grace period and a carryover.
Does my FSA balance end on December 31?
Only if your plan year ends then. Enter your own plan year end date above; many plans follow the calendar year but not all.
Can my employer give me back unused FSA money?
No. Pub. 969 says the employer is not permitted to refund any part of the balance to you.
What should I do with money left over in November?
Check which expenses your plan covers, book dental or vision visits you were going to need anyway, refill prescriptions your plan allows and buy eligible items. Spending on something you do not need just converts a forfeited balance into a lost cash outlay.
Not tax advice
This page is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice. Tax rules change and your facts may differ. Confirm anything that matters with the IRS, a CPA or an enrolled agent before you act. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.